Car found quickly; but deputies think suspect left area

Nueces County deputies continued to search Thursday night for a 39-year-old man who freed himself from handcuffs late Wednesday during a traffic stop, then stole a sheriff's cruiser with an assault rifle aboard.

Authorities have been searching for Fidel Perez since about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, when deputies said he escaped with a supervisor's vehicle that was called in for backup during the traffic stop near Chapman Ranch, said Sheriff Jim Kaelin. The fugitive also managed to outrun a sheriff department's sport utility vehicle with the cruiser.

Corpus Christi police found the stolen car about 30 minutes later on Rhew Road Wednesday evening and discovered a semi-automatic rifle was missing from the car's trunk, Kaelin said.

Officers had blocked off an area bounded by Rhew and Sedwick roads, Main Drive, and Leopard Street, where they had believed Perez might be hiding in the tall brush. The search, which included a Texas Department of Transportation helicopter and Texas Department of Corrections dogs, ended about 2 a.m. Thursday, said Assistant Chief Deputy Pete Peralta.

"We were able to determine that he wasn't in the brushy area," Peralta said. "Now, we're checking out several addresses that we had on file for him in the past and trying to contact some family members."

Peralta said Perez likely is no longer in the area, which officers searched Wednesday, but he urged people in that area to be cautious and to contact authorities if they see Perez.

The deputy and supervisor who were at the traffic stop likely acted within the department's policy, Kaelin said. An administrative review is ongoing, he said.

During the traffic stop, the deputy found suspected stolen copper wire in the trunk. While authorities were questioning another man who was in the vehicle, Perez likely slipped the handcuffs under his feet and climbed over the car's front seat, Kaelin said. Because the car was assigned to a supervisor, it didn't have a cage, he said.

The keys, including a key that could have unlocked the handcuffs, still were in the ignition when authorities found the car on Rhew Road, Kaelin said. Authorities hadn't recovered the .223-caliber AR-15 Thursday night, and the only thing Perez left behind in the car was a pair of shoes, Kaelin said.

The AR-15, a military-style police firearm, had one magazine with it that held about 18 rounds, Kaelin said.

Contact Barbara Ramirez at 886-3792 or ramirezb@ caller.com or David Kassabian at 886-3778 or kassabiand@caller.com